Increasing Electrical Conductivity of Bacterial Cellulose/Polypyrrole Bio Composite Films Prepared Using the Pulling Technique

Abstract

This research has found a new approach to improving the conductivity of bacterial cellulose BC/Ppy bio composite films prepared using pulling. A wet BC pellicle is immersed in a liquid Ppy semiconductor for 30 minutes. The wet films was pulled out using a tensile testing machine. The results show that, after pulling, the conductivity of the films became better parallel to the sample drawing direction. Compared to the non-pulled out film, the pulled out film had higher conductivity (σ = 19.2 x 10-3 S/cm), increasing by 153%. The conductivity of films can still improve significantly because deformation during sample preparation in wet conditions.